Psychographic

The Olds was bone stock other than the wheels and the wire loom, my truck on the other hand had one best of show and best paint at quite a few local shows, so I doubt if it was execution. The Jeep should have won on the unique factor alone, and yes, it also was done well. When I was showing the dime, it was to promote work, so I really didn't care if I won with it or not.

I know I'm going to catch flak for this, but I've always thought small scale shows should be peoples choice. Now I know that the average person usually doesn't know squat about how much effort goes into either a 1:1 or model, but there is no way to yell foul because of a couple of judges. I'll give you an example of a show I was at years ago. I was showing my 83 S-10. Chopped 4.5 inches, juiced, side swing tailgate, Park Ave hood hinge, full molded ground effects (shoot me they were in style back then), fully shaved, total custom interior, full Candy graphics and murals on the hood and Toneaeu (Sp?), I think you get the drill. There was no sport truck category, I got put in "other". There was a fully restored military Jeep with a trailer and gun like Rat Patrol. I figured I didn't have a chance. I was right and wrong, we both got beat by a mid 80's Olds of some sort that had wheels and wire loom, that was it! Had the people voted, that Olds would have never won.

My reply was not based on the overall car, yes that car is modified. I should have not quoted the first sentance, my reply was based on the idea of a paint job making a car custom. Sorry for the confusion. I do not think a paintjob can make a custom car. Why? Where do you draw the line on what amount of effort makes it custom? A color change can be considered custom, but it no way makes the car custom. What if some guy sees something on one of those car shows on TV spouting the praise of Duplicolor decides to mask a few stripes and rattle cans to it, is it now a custom car? There really is no way to draw a line on how much of a paintjob it takes to make it custom, therefore I don't consider a car custom if it just has some paintwork.

As someone who does Custom Paint work, no a paintjob does not make a car/bike a Custom. It's a stock car with a paintjob, there is nothing else custom about the vehicle.

Muscle Cars came from the factory, Street machines are cars modified after the fact.

I think it's important to know what other classes were listed? Were the catogories based on actual categories such as Factory Stock, Race Cars, Muscle Cars, Import/Tuner, Supercar/Exotic Showcar/Customs etc., or are the classes broken down to Box Stock, Custom, Radical etc.? Without knowing the other categories, it's hard to know what what is meant by custom. One is based on what the cars are modeled after, one is based on the type of construction.

Have you tried heating them to see if they will stretch a bit? I've used a hair dryer to stretch tires that wouldnt fit over the rims. This will only work if the fit is close.

I just use my thumb and index finger as a guide while holding the rod or tube. When filing it will leave some "flash" on the edges, don't trim it off. The flash will help mold the two parts together and make a smoother joint if you are using a liquid cement.

Painting it is the fast part, you don't want to know the set up and cut time for those masks.

The plotters have come down drastically in price, unfortunately the software just keeps getting more and more expensive. My program cost $2500 over 15 years ago, add in the one upgrade for another $750, not exactly a worthwhile investment for a modeler. I coud upgrade it again, but I don't see any benefit in it for what I use it for.

Due to my fondness of hot and spicy foods, I've been told I have a Cast Iron Stomach. At least now I know what it looks like.

A good way to know if your paint is thinned properly is to do a test spray on a non porous object, glossy magazines are great for this. You should always do this as the small amount of paint you are mixing can be off by the tiniest amount and make the paint too thin or thick. It might seem to spray into the air fine, but lay down like ###### or run and sag. When you spray your test pattern, look for a nice even spray to insure that your getting a nice round spray that shoots straight out the the AB. If not, the tip is bent, the aircap damaged or one of the airpassages could be clogged. If you are getting a good pattern, the next thing to check, is it fogging out softly or as it fades out from the center of the spray pattern? If it looks grainy or stippled as it fades out, your paint is to thick or as mentioned above, not enough air pressure. Thin it a small amout and try another pass until you get a nice fade. I like about 25-35 PSI myself.

Paint Thinner could be anything from Lacquer Thinner to Mineral Spirits. Lacquer Thinner is almost like a universal thinner in that it will work with vatious types of paint. I've never used an Airbrush Thinner, so I won't comment on that. As for Mineral Spirits, I think it's useless, it has no bite to it and takes forever to dry. It will however give a nice shine when dry. If you're sparaying Lacquer, stick to Lacquer Thinner, Enamel Reducer and Mineral Spirits can curdle some lacquers, rather than thin them.

Ira, is there room to fit the Vette fender vents onto the Cord body?

The VL is bulletproof and a great beginner airbrush. It is available as a 1, 3 , or 5. 1 being the finest tip, 3 being the mid and 5 for heavy. For spraying bases, I would suggest the 5 tip, needle and aircap.

I just noticed, Happy Birthday Ira.

Would using parts from a kit that won't be the same part when it's done be considered scratchbuit? I know that sounds confusing, let me give you an example from my sprint car build. The center section of the rear was made using parts from an old Gullwing Mercedes. I used part of two mufflers and two wheels to make it. The rest is Evergreen sheet, rod and tubing. During construction, Finished

Wallmart, Target, ToysRus

I turned a 4 piece body into 46 pieces! For the most part the mock up is done and the trailer is back to 4 pieces. I'm still not sure if I want to fill the emblems that were on the side of the trailer, I'll wait till I have some wheels and tires under it to decide.

Using the stock single wheel and tire, not gonna happen! Might as well go big, about a 1/2" stretch and some big tandems. Now it looks like something.

Thanks guys. The wheels are from 2 Jada diecast cars. The rear wheels are actually two sets of wheels and tires put together to get them that wide and deep. I cut the fronts right behind the spokes to narrow them and the left over pieces are added to the rears.I later swapped the fronts from this for some smaller ones off another Jada, these look much better.

While I was building the Twilight Zone Silhouette, I thought I should check to make sure it fits. Sure enough with the big wheels and tires along with a wider track, it didnt come close to fitting. Oh heck no! The trailer was always my favorite part of this kit, how could I have a Silhouette with no trailer? Out came the saws and Evergreen. Originally I had to widen, add to the height and stretch the trailer to get the car to fit. How can I add all that and still keep the glass? A little planning and it just barely fit, but it fit and the glass is unmolested. Luckily I found a smaller set of front wheels and tires, they also had a better offset to boot, This allows Twilight Zone to fit much better. It looks like the stretch might not be needed now. Here's how TZ fits in her trailer.

My favorite showcar of all time is the Silhouette, I started this build in June, it marked the return to modeling in many many years. I put my spin on the car and brought it up to date a bit, trying to keep it recognizable yet new.

If it ain't broke, why try to fix it? Leave it be.

If you've ever done any extensive bodywork on a model you wouldn't say that. Yes, I will admit a weathered paint scheme is labor intensive, but it also hides a ton of sin. A shiny paintjob over a kit that has been highly modified is way more work than a flat and rusty one.